Once Upon A December
by WickedgreenPhantom
Summary: Jackson Overland was a reckless teenager who dared sneak into the royal castle on the night of a grand ball. Little did he know, that an act of terror would occur which would see him fleeing with the young crown princess in a night that would forever change both their lives. Inspired by the animated movie 'Anastasia'. (Completed)
1. Part One- 1st of December, 1997

**1st of December, 1997. **

It was a cold night. Winter had come early that year, bringing with it thick white snow which had covered the ground. Still, regardless of the crisp air and the challenge that had come with the crunchy sound made by the snow underneath his feet, Jackson Overland had persisted. After all, the cold had been the least of his troubles.

His biggest problem had been getting inside. Entry into the Arendelle royals' annual ball was by invitation only and poor, troubled Jackson Overland had not been one of the lucky ones. Yet, he had not let that get him down. He had always been fond of an adventure, even if it had seen him land in front of the juvenile court far too many times. Besides, he had always held onto the belief that the royal balls lacked a certain spark….a spark that only he could bring.

So, with the determination that had come from years of misbehaviour, he had brushed past the armed guards while shouting the name of his 'missing' dog. The guards had paid him no interest- they had bigger issues than some lanky sixteen-year-old kid, who had been dumb enough to let go of his dog's lead. Out of sight of the guards, he had found a nearby tree which he had scaled. Then, balanced on the thickest branch he could find, he had slowly edged along until he had felt it safe to make the leap onto the brick wall which surrounded the castle. Once on top of the wall, he had wasted no time in dropping his backpack onto the ground and had jumped down to land on the bark which lined the edge of the large garden.

After brushing himself off, he had ducked behind a bush to change into the black dress pants, white shirt and slightly crumpled suit jacket that he had stored in his backpack. His cheap jeans and t-shirt had been left with his backpack behind the bush, along with a steely resolve that he would remember to collect the stored clothes before leaving for the night.

He'd taken a deep breath, trying to settle his beating heart before he had entered the grand ballroom. His eyes had widened as he'd looked around the grand ballroom. While he had anticipated the room to be impressive, he had greatly underestimated just _how _impressive it really was. One room, just one room in the castle and yet it could easily fit his entire home in it with room to spare. The windows alone, were larger than any he had ever seen and covered with heavy looking drapes, which he'd assumed had not been bought from the local Goodwill store.

A sudden bump to the shoulder caused Jack to snap out of his thoughts. Steeling himself, he turned around- certain that he'd been caught out by one of the guards. Instead, his eyes fell on a short, rotund man with a toupee which didn't match the few strands of his remaining 'real' hair. "I'm sorry, good sir," the man apologised, blushing slightly. "I get so nervous at these events and wasn't looking where I was going."

Breathing a sigh of relief, he extended his hand. "That's okay," he replied, flashing a shy grin. "It's my first time here as well."

" The name is Christopher Edward Frederick Jones," the man offered, taking his hand and shaking it. "Headmaster of Hans Christian School for Boys."

Gulping, he cocked an eyebrow and looked at the lumbering man in front of him. He'd heard of the school. In fact, the school and the man's reputation preceded him. The posh private school was regarded as being one of the toughest schools in the nation- capable of turning even the harshest of young offenders onto a more disciplined path. Many a time, he had been threatened with a one way ticket to the boarding school located in the heart of the city. Yet, standing in front of the headmaster, he couldn't help feeling that the stories he'd heard of a harsh, unforgiving headmaster seemed at odds with the bumbling man in front of him.

Clearing his throat, he pushed the thoughts aside. "Jackson O... O'loughlin," he spluttered, silently praying that the man would not notice his slight stumbling as he forced himself to come up with a fake surname.

"Jackson, can I call you Jack?" the older man asked and waited for him to nod before continuing. "I notice that you didn't give a title. I assume that you are simply an employee or the son of an employee, perhaps?"

Nervously, he ran a hand over the back of his neck. "Uh..yeah," he murmured. His eyes darted around, anxiously looking for a way out of the conversation. To his relief, he didn't need one.

"Pleasure to meet you," the headmaster stated amicably. "I must apologise, I've just spotted Lady Penelope Winthrop and would quite like the chance to speak with her. She is one of the biggest financial supporters of my school. So you know, professional schmoozing to be done and all that."

Without waiting for a reply, the headmaster turned and strode clumsily across the dance floor towards the woman in question.

He counted silently to three before turning and pushing through the gathered crowd. All around him, people were dancing or mingling in small groups. Despite the expensive clothes and the impressive titles and resumes, he couldn't help sensing that the guests were somewhat uncomfortable being around each other. Everyone looked like they belonged, yet something in their clipped laughter and forced smiles suggested that no one was truly at ease.

Sighing, he continued moving amongst the crowd. To his relief, no one seemed to spare him a second glance. His suit, a relic from his aunt's third wedding, seemingly did the job of making him appear like he was meant to be there. Luckily, no one had dared look down at his feet where his trashed Reebok sneakers were taking the place of the smart dress shoes which he'd neglected to pack.

A waiter brushed past him with a tray of sparkling champagne. Always the opportunist, he grabbed a glass and winked at the unamused waiter. Warily, he scanned the room and when he was certain that no one cared about the youth daring to take a drink, he lifted the glass. The cold liquid touched his lips and trickled down his throat, leaving a sour taste. Coughing, he brought the glass to his lips and spat the remainder of the offending drink back into the glass before wiping his mouth on his sleeve.

Raising his head, he stole a glance at the gathered crowd, hoping that no one had seen his uncouth behaviour. Fortunately, it seemed that no one had. Instead, the crowd had silenced and turned to shift their focus towards the front of the room.

Following their gaze, he saw that King Agdar and Queen Idun had risen from their thrones. The king had his arms wrapped lovingly around his wife, who held onto a small wriggling bundle in her arms. Amused, he moved to the side and began to edge his way closer to the front where he could get a better vantage point.

Nearing the small elevated platform, he spied the flash of strawberry-blonde hair on the energetic bundle and recognised it to be the youngest princess, one-year-old, Anna. Judging by the small cries coming from the princess and the haggard looking castle maid to the right of the queen, the young royal was fighting sleep. He watched as the king broke from his speech to lean down and press a kiss on his squirming daughter's head. Smiling to himself, he made a mental note that if he ever dared tell his mother of his royal experience, he would be certain to let her know that even royal parents had to deal with children who refused their bedtime.

Suddenly, a loud bang could be heard, followed closely by the sound of shots being fired as angered yells and panicked shrieks filled the large room. Whipping his head around, he saw a group of men, dressed in black cargo pants with black t-shirts, bullet-proof vests and a ballistic helmet upon their heads. He felt his jaw drop, watching as the men lifted their machine guns and proceeded to open fire upon the guests. Out of the corner of his eye, he spied a plain-clothed guard moving to return fire and block the royal family, only to be struck down. A nasty shot to his head, was all that had been needed to send the heroic guard falling to the floor.

Without wasting anymore time, Jack sprung into action and raced along the wall and pushed himself towards the door that lay behind the thrones. He heard a loud shout as someone ordered him to stop. Pausing, he turned around to notice the king as he stared in his direction, his body bent over that of his deceased wife and daughter. The time needed for him to call out, was all that had been needed for one of the attackers to strike. With a shocked look on his face, the king had stumbled slightly before he had fallen to lie atop his wife and daughter's bodies. Gasping, he looked past the deceased royals to where one of the attackers had stopped to wave a black flag with the image of a bloodied crown on it and the words 'la mort du roi' on it- death to the king.

Terrified, he pushed through the doors and into the hallway of the castle. He had no idea where he was going, but he knew that he needed to get out of there. He'd known that entering the castle was his stupidest idea yet, but at the time he had imagined that at worst, he would be leaving the royal residence in handcuffs. Leaving via a body bag was not on his agenda.

An eery silence filled his ears as he continued to run. Looking around, he couldn't see any signs of the castle staff that worked behind the scenes. Although, he reasoned that they had likely sought safety, or had tried to. His eyes fell on a wide set of doors which opened onto the rear garden and he sighed. Surging forward, he was about to cross the divide when a sound brought him to a halt.

A small child-like sob could be heard, followed by a sniffle. Pausing, he turned and looked around. In the near distance, he could hear the muffled sound of a gunfire and angered shouts. Looking around, his eyes fell on a small round table with a vase of flowers on the top and a heavy table cloth. Tiptoeing towards the table, he leaned down and gripped the hem of the tablecloth and lifted it.

His eyes fell on a small girl, no older than four, with platinum-blonde hair tied in a plait and tear-filled blue eyes. He watched as the terrified girl's eyes widened and she clumsily backed herself against the wall, her action causing the table to topple over, leaving her exposed. The blue dress she wore bore the Arendelle crest and he realised that he was looking at the crown princess, the only surviving member of her immediate family.

Hesitating slightly, he brought his finger to his lips and willed the terrified girl to be silent. Her tear-filled blue eyes blinked up at him. Bowing down, he looked her in the eye. "Friend," he whispered, pointing to himself. "You're safe with me."

The young princess sniffed slightly as if unsure whether to trust him or not. Biting his lip, he turned his head in the direction of the ballroom. The screams and gunfire had ceased, presumably with the last guest being taken care of. Although, the angered shouts of the gunmen could still be heard. Jumping to his feet, he looked down at the terrified girl. He vaguely recalled his mother mentioning that the older princess, Elsa, was almost a year younger than his five-year-old sister, Emily. Judging by the flag and the way the girl's family had been wiped out, the murderers were not monarchists and were likely to be looking to take out all members of the Arendelle royals. They had already stolen her sister's life and it was safe to assume that she would be their next target.

Taking a deep breath, he said a silent prayer and bent down and scooped the girl up. He felt her wriggle slightly in his arms as he tightened his grip on her. With the young princess pressed against his chest, he turned on his heels and raced out the wide open doors into the empty rear yard.

He stumbled along the dark path until he found a side gate. Tentatively, he pressed down on the handle and pushed the gate open. Stepping out into the darkened alley, he could hear the sounds of sirens in the distance. Squinting his eyes, he could just make out the sight of a few of the attackers piling back into a black van. His eyes fell on the terrified girl who was clinging tightly to his neck. He needed a way to get past the men at the front without drawing attention to either of them.

Bending down, he lowered the girl to stand on her feet. She let out a small shriek and tightened her grip of him as he did so, reluctant to let him go. Plastering a smile on his face, he looked at her. "Listen, Elsa," he said soothingly. "You are safe with me. My name is Jack and we're friends. You need to trust me because I want to keep you safe. Will you let me help you?"

Slowly, Elsa nodded at him and unwound her hands from around his neck. Glancing up at the sky, he said a silent prayer for forgiveness before fixing his gaze upon the crying girl. Sighing, he pulled her towards him and timidly unzipped her dress, breathing a sigh of relief upon noticing that she wore a singlet top underneath her clothing. He then ripped his own shirt off of him and rubbed it into the dirt ground before placing it back on him. Quickly, he moved to untie the neat plait that Elsa wore, roughly messing her hair up before tracing his dirtied thumb over her pale face.

Standing back, he looked at the little girl in front of him. Gone was the smartly dressed little princess, in her place stood a red-faced, scared girl. Grabbing her dress, he slipped it into his pocket before picking her up and holding her securely in his arms.

Nervously, he walked towards the end of the alley. The sounds of sirens got louder as they drew closer to the castle. A small gasp escaped his lips as he turned and noticed the bodies of the castle guards lying on the ground in front the main gates. Instinctively, he gripped the back of Elsa's head and pressed her closer, shielding her from the sight. He felt himself being bumped slightly and jumped, turning to notice one of the attackers glaring at him.

"The fuck are you doing here, kid?" spat the skinny, older guy.

Gulping, he tightened his grip on Elsa. "Going home," he muttered. "My bitch of a mum is too drunk to drive and told me to take my brat of a sister home."

He felt his chest thumping as the guy cocked his eye and stared at him, as if trying to figure out whether he was lying. Steeling himself, he realised that he had no plan of attack for if his lie fell flat.

"Who the fuck are the kids?" another man asked, stopping to look at the man who had stopped them.

"Just some white-trash kids," the man shrugged. "Apparently their dear mother is too busy drinking to care for them."

"Then why the fuck do you care, Weselton?" hissed the other man. "The fucking cops are coming and you're stopping to play with a pair of dirty brats!"

He watched as 'Weselton' stopped to glare at the other man before looking over his shoulder at the approaching lights. With one last glance, he brushed past them and climbed into the van.

* * *

Jack had no idea when Elsa had fallen asleep. They had been three blocks away from the castle when he had realised that he'd left his backpack with the change he'd stashed away for a bus ticket back in the castle grounds. The only small benefit had been that he'd been smart enough to slip his phone and his house keys into the pocket of his suit pants before he had entered the castle.

Idly, he had wandered in the direction of the bus stop. By the time he'd arrived at the stop where the bus that would take him to his home departed, the news about the commotion at the palace had become public. He overheard comments from passing revellers and stragglers that a massacre had gone down and police had cordoned off the area surrounding the palace. Everyone was too concerned with deciding whether to continue with their plans or to leave the city and no one seemed to care about two messy kids wandering the streets.

Shrugging, he wandered up to a middle-aged woman wearing a cardigan over a nurses uniform. "Excuse me, Miss," he said, putting on his brightest smile as the woman turned to glance at him. "My mother, she uh...she took us out with her to the pub, but she uh..she decided to continue drinking and she didn't want my sister and I to hang around. Only thing is, she forgot to give us money for a bus ticket. I was wondering if you could spare the money for the ticket?"

Biting his lip, he watched as the woman frowned and looked him up and down. Her brown eyes settled on the sleeping girl in his arms and she softened. "What bus do you catch?" she asked.

"Uh...the 224," he replied. "We're heading to Findon Park."

"That's the bus I catch," the woman replied. "I get off before you though, but I can pay for your fare."

"Thank you," he replied, breathing a sigh of relief. "I appreciate it."

The woman nodded and gestured to the bus which was slowing to a halt. "You're welcome. You just make sure that in the future, your mother sees to it that you and the little-one are taken care of. It's not safe for you to be out so late with such a young girl," she ordered, sternly. "Also, when you get home, see to it that the little girl has some warmer clothes put on her. Poor little thing, she'll catch a cold."

* * *

Taking a deep breath, Jack slipped the key into the front door of his house and pushed the door open. The sound of the TV playing softly in the background told him that his mother was still awake, or at the very least she had fallen asleep on the couch.

Carefully, he balanced Elsa in his arms and leaned against the wall to kick his shoes off. He couldn't help smiling as he looked down at the sleeping princess. It amazed him how she had managed to remain asleep during their walk through the city streets, the following bus ride and still appeared to be in a deep sleep. Frowning, he recalled the events that had gone on and reasoned that the young girl would likely need a lot of rest while she recovered from the traumatic experience. Unfortunately for him, his troublesome night had only just started.

"Now or never," he muttered under his breath. "Let's just hope that she doesn't yell too much."

Slowly, he walked into the loungeroom. His mother's eyes were trained on a local news station which was relaying news of the event at the palace. Phrases such as 'blood-bath', 'no survivors' and ' act of terrorism' were repeated ad nauseam, leaving the viewers with no doubt that it had been a horrific situation.

"Jack," his mother called. "Where the hell…"

He watched as his mother turned to face him, her jaw-dropping as she took in the sleeping child in his arms. Sheepishly, he looked at her from under a loose strand of his hair. "Hi Mum," he murmured. "I'm home."

"Jackson Overland!" his mother snapped, stepping closer as she zeroed in on him. "My first question was going to be to ask you where the hell you've been. I know for a fact that you were not at the Haddock boy's home like you had claimed to be. Except, I think that there are bigger questions needing an answer here. Namely, who the _hell_ is that child and _why_ is she in your arms? What the hell have you done now, Jack? Answer me truthfully...I swear to God, you do not want to test me."

He felt Elsa shuffle in his arms as she slowly woke. Looking up, he caught his mother's gaze. Her brown eyes were flicking between him and Elsa. He knew that she was going to need answers- that much was obvious. However, his first priority was to see to it that their young guest felt as secure as could be.

As if sensing his train of thought, Elsa turned her head to take in her surroundings, her sapphire eyes blinked as she shifted her gaze between his mother and him. Suddenly, without warning, she let out an almighty wail as the fear, tiredness and confusion that likely plagued her took hold.

He acted quickly and plonked himself down on the couch. Glancing up, he looked at his mother. "Can you please get me damp wash cloth, a blanket and a pair of Emily's pyjamas?" he asked. "I promise you, I'll explain everything, but first we need to settle her."

To his relief, his mother nodded and quickly left the room as she pottered from room to room. Shifting his attention to Elsa, he wrapped his arms around her small body. "Shh, shh," he soothed. "I know you're scared. I don't blame you, I'm...I'm barely holding up myself. However, I promise you this, you are safe, little princess."

"So," his mother said, handing him the damp washcloth as she regarded the sobbing child in his arm. "Start at the beginning."

Sighing, he took the cloth and slowly wiped over the dirt which he'd smudged on Elsa. He then raked his fingers through her hair before taking the warm pyjamas and helping his mother ease her into them.

"Her name is Elsa," he said. "She's the crown princess."

"Honesty, Jackson," his mother warned. "You're already in the biggest trouble of your life. The last thing you want to do is create more trouble by lying to me."

"I'm telling you the truth," he sighed and bowed his head. "I didn't go to Hiccup's house as you know. I went to the castle, I snuck in-"

"You snuck in? To the castle? Jackson, are you insane! We've already been to court once this year because you just had to take the golf cart for a joyride," his mother shrieked before lowering her voice and sighing with defeat. "Okay, I did ask...so continue."

"Yes," he repeated. "I snuck in. I pretended to look for a missing dog, then I scaled a tree and that's how I got in. I had this suit in my backpack so I just put it on and walked in. Before you ask, I don't know why I did it. It was just a stupid prank."

"Jack," his mother's voice cracked as she looked at him. "Do you know what happened? At the castle?"

He nodded. "I was there for about forty minutes before they came in. I talked to the headmaster from that posh school that you always threaten me with, he wasn't what I expected him to be like. King Agdar and Queen Idun had brought the kids out. I didn't see Elsa until later, but Anna...she...she was with her mother…"

"With his mother when?" his mum whispered.

He ran a hand through his brown hair before turning to face his mother. He watched as his mother's eyes widened as a sense of realisation hit her. "Oh no, Jack," she whispered, gawking at him. "You didn't...you...didn't see it?"

He bowed his head and blinked, pushing the painful memory from his mind."A plain-clothed guard tried to protect them, but he got hit. They had machine guns. Anna, she was only a baby and in her mother's arms. She didn't have a chance," he cried. "I just started running. I was close to the place where the thrones were and ran past them. The last thing I saw in the room was the king as he fell."

"And Elsa?" his mother gasped. "How does she come into it?"

Sniffing, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the small dress that he'd taken off Elsa. "I was running through the halls and had just found the door which led to the backyard when I heard sobs," he explained. "I found her hiding under a table cloth. She hadn't been in the ballroom when it had happened, I think that she had been waiting in the hall for the maid to take her and her sister to bed. I couldn't leave her, Mum. Her entire family had just been killed. The killers had a flag with a bloodied crown and something in French-"

"Death to the king," his mother broke in. "The media is saying that they are a terrorist group made up of people who are strongly opposed to the monarchy. They tried to take out the Corona royals a few years ago, but their plans were foiled."

"Well, they were more successful here," he muttered bitterly. "They killed a one-year-old, Mum. They would have killed Elsa..I...I couldn't...I…"

He felt his mum's arms move to wrap around him as she pulled him into a hug. "She's not much younger than Emily, Mum," he sobbed. "What did you want me to do? Leave her..she's..she's...I...couldn't leave her...if you saw her face, heard her sobs...you...you wouldn't have..she's innocent and she...she was scared."

"She's four. She is only a year younger than your sister" his mum whispered. "Her photo has been on the news. They are saying that her body has yet to be found and now we know why, because she's alive. How did you get her out though?"

Sitting up straighter, he wiped a tear from his eye and looked down at Elsa. He was happy to see that her sobs had subsided and she had fallen back asleep in his arms. "We ran out the back and I found a gate that led into an alley. Once in the alley, I ripped my shirt off and then took her dress off and put it in my pocket. I purposely messed up her hair and smudged some dirt on her," he said. "We then walked past the front gate where the guards bodies were. I shielded her so she couldn't see the bodies. We were seen by one of the killers, he stopped me and I just fed him a lie about our mum being at the pub and not wanting to put up with us. Fortunately, the guy was more concerned with getting away before the police arrived."

"Right, so we've got a terrorist who thinks that I am an alcoholic," his mum groaned. "I suppose it could be worse."

"Yeah, it could," he muttered sardonically. "Your entire family could have been brutally murdered and you could find yourself having to trust strangers for your safety."

"Jack...I don't know where to begin. I want to be furious with you. I _should_ be furious with you. It's just...I've been watching the news for the last hour. I'm just…." his mother croaked. "I am just so glad that you are safe and that despite the fact that you have landed us in the biggest mess ever, I'm glad that you got this little girl to safety."

"She's so small," he murmured, gazing down at Elsa. "She's all alone in this world. What are we going to do? We have to keep her safe. I won't let her be harmed."

Beside him, his mother let out a sigh. "I don't know," she admitted. "We are going to have to go to the police tomorrow to let them know what you know. They will likely try and find a distant relative or someone who can adopt her-"

"We can adopt her," he broke in. "I'll step up to help around the house some more. She can share a room with Emily."

He felt his spirit sink as he watched his mother shake her head. "No, we can't, Jack," she said regretfully. "If these people are out to kill royals and if word gets out that she survived, then she's not safe here. She needs to be somewhere safe and Arendelle is not that place, not at this time."

Sighing, he lifted his head and nodded. Much as he didn't want to admit it, his mother had a point. Arendelle was not safe for Elsa, not at this point in time and her safety had to come first.

"Can we at least look after her until they find a new home?" he whispered. "Please? I...I want to protect her. I need to protect her."

His mother smiled. "We can," she murmured. "Right now though, she needs to go to bed. Take her to Emily's room, she can sleep in there. I'll take Em to sleep with me."

He nodded. "I want to sleep in the room with her," he said. "I'll sleep on the mattress next to the bed."

"Jack, you can't!" his mother protested. "She's a four-year-old girl, you're sixteen. You can't sleep in a room with her."

"Her entire family has been brutally murdered, Mum," he stated. "Everything she knows has been taken from her. Right now, I am the only link she has to her past. For the last two hours-and-a-half hours, she has trusted me to keep her safe. She's already been through something incredibly traumatic. How do you think she'll feel if she wakes up, alone, in a strange house and she can't see me?"

His mother hesitated slightly before looking down at Elsa and back up at him. "Okay," she relented. "You can sleep in the lounge. Hand her over to me. I'll nurse her while you go and grab the mattress from the junk room and a spare set of sheets, a blanket and a pillow. Make sure to grab the mattress protector that Emily used to use. Poor little thing has been through quite an ordeal. I'd not be surprised if she has an accident. You can sleep on the couch. Keep the hall light on as well, it may help her feel a bit more secure if she wakes up- that way she can at least see you."

Nodding, he carefully passed Elsa over into his mother's waiting arms. Racing upstairs, he quickly changed into his pyjama pants and an old singlet top. He caught sight of his reflection in his bedroom mirror and sighed. Somehow, it seemed that the events of the last few hours had aged him. Gone were the youthful brown eyes which lay underneath a mop of tousled brown hair. In their place was a hardened gaze which hinted at the unspeakable horror that he'd witnessed.

Pushing the thoughts from his head, he grabbed his pillow and blanket and carried them down the stairs. He placed the blanket and pillow on the end of the couch and smiled at his mother before heading into the junk room where they kept the spare single mattress. Awkwardly, he lugged the mattress into the lounge room and dropped it so that it was positioned in front of the couch. Casting a glance back at Elsa, he headed to the laundry room and pulled open the linen closet and grabbed a spare pillow, the mattress protector and a blanket before heading back into the lounge room.

"She's such a pretty little thing," his mum murmured, nodding at him as he bent down to make up the mattress. "I just can't believe that someone could want to harm her, or her sister simply for being royal."

"She's safe now," he reasoned, reaching over to take Elsa from his mother's arms. "Go to bed, Mum. It's been a long night."

Carefully, he laid Elsa down to rest and pulled the blanket up and covered her small body. He couldn't help wondering if she would normally be cuddling a plush toy and sighed, making a mental note to break open his piggy bank to take her to purchase a new toy as soon as possible.

"Jack," his mother's voice called, snapping him from this thoughts. "Thank you for coming back to me tonight and I'm proud of you...for you know, saving her."

He nodded. Standing up, he tiptoed over to his mum and wrapped his arms around her. "I couldn't leave her. I'd not be able to live with myself if I had," he murmured.

"I know," his mother replied and ran her fingers through his hair. "You're a troublemaker and you're intent on sending me grey at an alarmingly fast rate, but you're a good boy. I love you, you know that. I probably don't tell you enough, but I do. I love you so much."

Grinning, he leaned in and placed a kiss on his mum's cheek. "I know, Mum," he whispered. "I love you too and I'm sorry...for everything I've done up until this point."

"I know," his mum murmured. "Now go to bed. You've had a long night and we're in for one hell of a long day tomorrow. Just take care of her."

Lifting his hand to his head, he gave his mother a small salute before turning around and climbing onto the makeshift bed that he'd set up on the couch. Lying down, he turned his head to look over Elsa. A few seconds later, the overhead light went off with only the hall light preventing the room from being plunged into total darkness.

He heard the sound of his mum's footsteps softening as she got further away. Rolling onto his back, he closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh.

"Jack," a soft voice trembled. Rolling over, he opened his eyes to find Elsa sitting and looking at him.

"Hey, little princess," he yawned. "I thought you were sleeping."

"Jack, I'm scared," Elsa cried, biting her lip as she looked at him. "I want my mummy and my daddy and Anna."

Sighing, he climbed off the couch and wrapped his arms around her. It pained him that the things she wanted the most, the things she needed, he couldn't give her. Leaning down, he brushed his hand through her hair. "I know you're scared, little angel. I wish that I could give you what you want, but I can't. The only thing I can do is promise you that you are safe now. So long as I am alive, you will always be safe."

"Will you stay with me?" she whimpered, wriggling from his grip to look at him.

Choking back a tear, he leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. "Always," he vowed. "Always and forever, little princess."


	2. Part Two- 1st of December, 2013

**1st of December 2013**

Elsa sighed as she hit send on the email, sending the file with her English essay to her professor. All the hours spent bent over her laptop, carefully researching, reading and editing her work, had been reduced to little more than an email. Now, all she had to deal with was the mild panic that came with fearing that she had made a mistake, be it in her professor's email address or in the work itself. Shaking her head, she clicked the button to shut down her laptop. She knew that she had worked hard and carefully scrutinised her finished work. Experience had taught her that she couldn't dwell on the 'what-if'. All she could do, was focus her attention on the present.

Pushing back her chair, she moved to the window and peeled back the curtains to survey the scene down below. As expected, winter had come early to the town of Burgess, Pennsylvania. Thick white snow covered the ground and anything else unfortunate to be in it's path as it fell from the sky. Squinting her eyes, she could barely make out the shape of the picnic table where she'd enjoyed a relaxing lunch with her parents, only a few weeks earlier.

A loud shout distracted her. Looking down, she recognised Jamie Bennett, one of the guys from her English class, racing through the snow as he pelted a snowball in the direction of a lanky blonde guy with glasses. Chuckling, she pushed herself away from the window before Jamie spotted her and decided to pester her to come down and join in their fun.

Her eyes fell on her empty dorm. Her roommate, Sophie, Jamie's twin sister, had gone out for the day and had left her alone. Settling herself on her bed, she pulled her phone onto her lap and checked the time. Her heart sunk as she realised that she'd missed the chance to Skype call her parents. Despite the fact that they were military and used to early mornings, her parents still enjoyed a sleep in. Receiving a call at 3am South Australian time, was not likely to be met with enthusiasm. She shook her head as the image of their possible reactions popped up in her mind. Her father would be the one who would answer the call, his broad Australian accent would sound down the line, gruff at first, but softening when he recognised the sound of her voice. He would then pass the call to her mother who would be tired, but would force herself to sound somewhat alert so not to appear rude.

Reaching over to the bedside table, she traced her fingers over the framed family photo and smiled. "I'll let you sleep, Dad," she murmured.

Falling back onto her bed, she pulled the blanket over and covered herself. Closing her eyes, she found her thoughts turning to her family and their situation.

It was no secret that she was adopted. With pale skin, platinum-blonde hair, a petite frame and blue eyes, she didn't exactly resemble her parents. Her father, Aster Bunnymund, was a tall, muscular and tanned Australian with a head of dark brown hair and brown eyes. Her mother, Tia Bunnymund, was Chinese with a petite frame, dark brown hair and brown eyes. Even her surname was different than that of her parents. For some reason, her parents had opted to give her the surname of Fisher, her mother's maiden name, after the adoption had been legalised.

She couldn't remember a lot about her adoption. She knew that she'd been four when she had been adopted from Arendelle, Norway. From what she had been told, her birth parents and a younger sibling had been killed in a tragic accident which had left her orphaned. A teen boy had apparently found her and had cared for her for before he'd handed her over to authorities.

That had been when her parents had come in. Something about her case had struck a chord with the childless Army couple and they had swooped in with a respected ex-military lawyer, Nicholas St. North, to adopt her. According to her mother, the whole process had been rapid fast. Their name and the level of respect that North commanded had seen to it that the adoption had been organised in just over a week. With the paperwork signed, she had been whisked from Norway to her new home in Penang, Malaysia where her parents had been stationed.

She had spent the last fourteen years living out of a suitcase as her parents job had seen her move on a regular basis. As such, she had never been in a situation to form close friendships with anyone and had been homeschooled. Not that she had minded, the time on her own had allowed her to devote herself to her studies. The abundance of time spent studying as opposed to pursuing a social life, had paid off. At the tender age of eighteen, she had been accepted to study law at Burgess University.

Leaving her parents had been hard. There had been tears in the months leading up to her departure. She had overheard her parents talking about her move and had realised that they shared her fears. Growing up, she had been heavily protected. Her every move had been monitored and she had become accustomed to her dad doing semi-regular checks during the night to ensure that she was safely tucked up asleep.

She had briefly entertained the idea of rejecting the offer, but her mother had objected. Despite the admittal that she had her own concerns, Tia Bunnymund had been quick to point out that Burgess University was regarded as a safe and respectable university. After talking it over as a family, they had agreed that the move was for the best.

Still, regardless of their decision. Security measures had been put in place. Her father had insisted on thoroughly vetting her potential roommate and their family. He had also put her in contact with an old friend who lived nearby- Samuel 'Sandy' Joyce, a retired navy officer, who despite his rotund appearance and pleasant disposition, was known for being highly skilled in Krav Maga. Lastly, her father had left her with the order to always carry her phone, pepper spray and to ensure that she continued to practise the basic self-defense moves that she had been taught since an early age.

The sound of the dorm room being pushed open jolted her from her thoughts. Shuffling into a sitting position, she found herself face to face with her roommate, Sophie. "Hey Els," Sophie greeted closing the door behind her as she carried in a few bags of shopping. "Take it you finally finished that English essay for Professor Williams?"

Grinning, she pushed the covers back and swung her legs over the edge of the bed and watched as Sophie began pulling her purchases from the bags. "I did. I only just finished it though-"

"Els," Sophie interrupted, turning to stare at her. "That essay wasn't due for another two weeks, you know that, right?"

Blushing, she nodded. "I do," she murmured. "It's just I have so much other work to finish and I don't want to let it get away from me. Anyway, enough about me, what happened with your day out? You're normally out a lot longer when you go shopping. Did you run out of clothes to buy?"

"More like I ran out of money," Sophie chuckled. "No, I got a late-minute call from Caleb. He was hiding behind a garbage can so that Jamie and Cupcake wouldn't pelt him with snowballs. Anyway, while we were talking, Cupcake found him and took the phone off him to tell me that they are all headed to a bar later tonight and to ask if I wanted to come. I said yes and decided to come home early to get ready."

"Sounds like a plan," she replied. "I saw that your brother had started one of his snowball fights. I didn't see Caleb, but he was likely hiding at that point."

Sophie rolled her eyes and held up a new multi-coloured striped dress to her chest. "Yeah, he would have been. All these years later and he's still slightly intimidated by Cupcake and Claude...and well..his own shadow," she snorted. "By the way, the gang wants to know if you want to come with us tonight? Cupcake actually gave me orders to drag you out with us- whether you want to or not."

Blinking, she regarded the rosy-cheeked blonde as she pulled out a handful of coloured nail polishes that she had purchased. "I...I can't," she stammered. "I'm sorry, I have to go out in another hour."

"What for?" Sophie quizzed as she pulled out a hanger to hang her new dress on.

"Oh, my dad's friend, Sandy, is taking me to learn Krav Maga," she explained. "A girl called Astrid teaches it part time and Dad has organised for me to have lessons."

"Oh," Sophie replied and turned to study her. "So, you're leaving at 2pm. What time is the lesson and how long does it last for?"

Groaning, she reached over to grab her phone and scrolled through to the calendar section. "The lesson will take an hour," she explained. "Lesson starts at 2:30pm, but I'll have to travel."

"It can't be that far away if you're being picked up at 2pm for a 2:30 lesson, though," Sophie countered. "We're not leaving until 7pm. You'll have plenty of time to get home, shower, grab something to eat and head out with me. Come on, Els,"

"I don't know," she whispered, biting her lip as she studied the carpet on the floor.

"Come on, Els," Sophie begged. "You never come out with us. I know your Dad is like super strict and all, I mean, he practically needed a sample of my blood before he agreed to us being roommates, but you'll be safe. Trust me, it will be a whole group of us- you, me, Jamie, Caleb, Cupcake, Claude, Monty, Peggy. Cupcake's going to be our designated driver- she has her parents Pathfinder. There's no way in hell that she will risk drinking and driving-"

"I don't know, Soph," she interrupted. "I'm kind of tired and am worried that I won't be much fun. I've not been sleeping well lately."

She watched as Sophie stopped in her tracks before abandoning her purchases and moving to join her on the bed. "I know, Elsa," Sophie whispered. "I share a room with you. I've seen you tossing and turning with nightmares. I mean, I know university is scary...but you...you are something different, it's like you're truly scared."

Blushing, she lifted her head to meet her friends gaze. She had been plagued with a recurring nightmare for almost as long as she could remember. It was always the same: the sound of gunshot, screams and finally a lanky brunette boy who lifted a tablecloth and found her younger self before pulling her into his arms and running with her. Over the course of her life, she had tried to make sense of the dreams. Somewhere along the way, she had come to the decision that the brunette boy had been named Jack and that he had called her 'little princess'. When she had mentioned it to her parents, they had shared a look before telling her that it was nothing but a bad dream. Jack, or rather, Jackson, had been the name of the boy who had found her after the accident that had claimed her parents. Jackson Overland.

"Els," Sophie broke in. "Are you okay? I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything. It's just...I don't know what to do when I hear you having those dreams. You toss and turn and your face, Elsa. If you could see your face and see the pain and terror ...it's like it's more than a nightmare."

She sighed. "I'm sorry that you have to witness it, Soph," she murmured. "I wish I knew what to say. I've been having the same nightmare on and off for the last sixteen years-"

"Is there any chance that it's more than a nightmare?" Sophie asked. "I should video-tape you next time you have one, Els. I'm not kidding when I say that you are truly scared. Have you asked your parents about your life before they adopted you? Maybe it's connected to your past."

She shook her head. "No, I think it's just a nightmare. My parents don't seem to know a lot about my past, or if they do, they won't tell me. I've asked, but they simply said that my parents and sister died in an awful situation."

"Do you remember anything about your life before you were adopted?" Sophie whispered. "I mean, surely your parents would tell you something?"

"No," she admitted. "Every now and then, I recall being held by someone and looking at a small baby. I think that my baby sister was three years younger than me, she would have been seventeen now. It's just, every time I tried to ask my parents, they would change the situation. Well, my dad would leave the room and my mum would cuddle me and give me a hot chocolate. When I was sixteen, I overheard them talking about me and my situation. Mum wanted to tell me, but Dad said no. Dad felt it was safer and kinder to me that I don't know."

"Safer, how?" Sophie asked. "I mean, it's not like your entire family was wiped out and you're on the run."

Raising her eyebrow, she turned to stare at her friend. "On the run, Soph?" she quipped. "You're watching too many movies, I think."

Standing up, she padded across the room towards her closet and pulled out her sneakers.

"Els," Sophie called. "While we're talking about your nightmares, will you mind telling me who 'Jack' is? You sometimes murmur the name Jack while sleeping. Was he someone special?"

She felt the heat rushing to her cheeks as she looked at her friend. Judging by the amused grin on the blonde's face, she had already reached the conclusion that there was something juicy behind the significance of Jack, or at least something more telling than a boy who had found her. "Jack was the name of the boy who rescued me," she explained, noting the way Sophie's expression fell. "He was a teenager."

"Well, that's not quite as exciting as I'd hoped for," Sophie muttered. "I was rather hoping that Jack was the boy of your dreams, torn away from you by rival...I don't know, maybe his family are Navy and because yours are Army, they are rivals and so your love can never be. Yet, despite the rivalry, you fell in love and were happy until your secret was discovered and you were torn apart…"

A decidedly unlady-like snort escaped her lips as she turned to study the whimsical expression on her roommates face. "Okay, now I _know _that you've been watching too many movies," she joked. "Sorry to disappoint you once again, but no, there was no torrid love affairs. I was a child and he helped me. Anyway, I have to go- I don't want to be late for my first class."

Sophie nodded. "Okay, see you later, Els," she called. "Just so you know, I'm determined to drag you out with us tonight. I won't take no for an answer."

* * *

Jack stared at the bottle in front of him. The cold amber liquid was doing nothing to ease his mind. Although, he had been briefly entertained by the important task of ripping the label off and scattering it into the ashtray along with the ash which had fallen from one of his cigarettes.

All around him, people were talking and laughing happily without a care to the world. Most of the customers were young, presumably students from one of the many universities that called the area home. Their loud voices rang out as they chatted and flirted with one another. Yet, despite the joyous atmosphere, he remained sullen and disinterested. He'd considered heading home to continue his moping in private, but had given up on the idea after realising that it was safer for him to remain in public where someone could at least refuse him alcohol when he'd had too much.

The barman, a large, jolly man by the name of Pete, had tried to engage him in polite conversation when he had first settled on the stool. However, much like the various women who had tried to catch his eye, he had ended up giving up and had left Jack to mope. Besides, there wasn't much joy to be found at this time of year- not anymore.

Sixteen years had past since _that_ night. The event that had unfolded at the Arendelle castle had changed him. He had left the house as a cocky, reckless teenager with little care for the consequences of his youthful misbehaviour. He had arrived home with a terrified child, having witnessed something which had changed not only his life, but that of a young girl and had put an end to the monarchy in Arendelle.

That evening had been one of the longest ones of his entire life. Sleep had evaded him and he had spent most of the night looking over the newly-orphaned princess. As his mother had anticipated, he had woken that morning to discover that the scared girl had managed to wet herself and the mattress before she had climbed up to join him on the couch.

The day after the attack had been an exhausting. Elsa had been even more teary as the reality of her situation slowly seeped in. Her loud wails had woken Emily, who had been shocked to discover a girl, barely younger than she was, in their home. Fortunately, his sister had been kind enough to agree to lend their guest some clothes and after a bit of a situation, where Elsa had refused to be separated from him, they had managed to bathe her and dress her for the day.

His mother had wasted no time in calling on a friend, a former military lawyer by the name of Nicholas St. North. North had pulled some strings and had somehow used his good name to get himself on a private jet from his temporary base in Frankfurt, Germany and had arrived on their doorstep at midday. Together, his mother and North had spent the rest of the afternoon holed up in the kitchen while they had gone over their options.

He, on the other hand, had spent the day trying to encourage Elsa to join him and Emily in play and had hoped that the distraction would help her feel more at ease. By the time the grumpy Australian and his energetic wife had arrived in the evening, Elsa had felt comfortable enough to allow him to leave the room without crying or attempting to follow him.

By the time Monday rolled around, a plan had been put in place. Dressed in his best suit, he had accompanied his mother, North, the Bunnymunds and Elsa to the police headquarters where he had come clean about his adventure at the castle. His illegal entry onto castle grounds had been ignored in favour for the information that he had been able to provide. Sadly, it had been revealed that very few people had survived the massacre. The majority of the castle staff had been present and on-hand in the grand ballroom where they had acted as wait-staff during the night. The few who hadn't been in the ballroom, had been working in the kitchen and had been killed shortly after he had fled with Elsa.

As expected, Elsa had been the sole survivor from her family. The lack of her body had led the homicide detectives to believe that she had been taken captive and had likely been murdered off-site. It had been at that point when he had lost it. He had glanced down at the small girl on his lap who had been entertaining herself by drawing with the crayons he'd packed for her and had stormed out of the detective's office.

Not surprisingly, Elsa had followed- the sterile environment of the police station had unsettled her and she'd reverted back to clinging to him. Her small hand had tugged on his shirt and she had tearily offered up the plush teddy that he had purchased for her earlier that day as comfort. Without a care in the world, he had broken down and had bent down to wrap his arms around the little princess.

The firm hand that had clamped down on his shoulders some five minutes later hadn't surprised him. What had shocked him had been the fact that it had been Aster 'Bunny' Bunnymund who had chosen to follow him. The cantankerous Australian had caught his eye and had simply uttered 'She'll be right, mate,' before he had turned and returned to the small office.

"You alright, mate?" a friendly voice called. "Normally you're onto your third drink by now and yet you've been nursing that first beer for well over an hour."

Shaking his head, he looked up to see Pete staring at him from the other side of the bar. Faking a smile, he nodded. "I'm fine," he muttered. "Couldn't be better."

Lifting the bottle to his lips, he forced himself to swallow the remainder of the drink and signalled for Pete to bring him a second drink.

He still didn't know all the details of what had gone on in the office while he had been absent. All he had known was that the following day he had been whisked to a small law firm where North, the Bunnymund's and a few senior detectives had met with lawyers. After a long day during which child psychologists had come and gone, they had left the building with a plan.

Elsa had been legally adopted by Tia and Aster Bunnymund. The married Army couple had sworn to protect her and had decided that the safest thing for Elsa was to get her out of Arendelle and raise her as an ordinary child and not the crown princess of a small Scandinavian nation.

Saying goodbye to the young princess had been harder than he could have ever anticpated. North had called on a friend in the Air Force who had agreed to fly the Bunnymunds and their newly adopted daughter to her new home in Malaysia as soon as the paperwork had been signed. He had fought back the tears as he'd watched Elsa be wrenched from his arms and carried onto the small military plane

No matter how hard he had tried, he had been unable to shake that night and the hidden princess from his thoughts. As the years had passed, life had continued. The monarchy had never been restored to Arendelle. The citizens had come to accept that all members of the family had been murdered. Tributes had been laid outside the castle in memory of those who had lost their lives with a special candle being lit in remembrance of the crown princess whose fate had remained unknown.

Elsa had impacted him in more ways than one. After saying goodbye to her, he had headed into a hairdressers and had walked out an hour later with his hair dyed a silver-white colour. His law-defying behaviour had ceased and he had focused his attention on his final two years at school with the aim of attending university. However, depression had taken it's toll and he had dropped out midway through his senior year. The friends that he had used to associate with had soon stopped calling in on him. Aside from his mother, North, the Bunnymund's and the few police officers, no one had known of his role in the Arendelle massacre.

He had been nineteen when he had finally decided that he could no longer tolerate living in Arendelle. After talking it over with his mother, he had decided to move to his mother's hometown of Burgess, Pennsylvania which had been the furthest place that he could realistically find to move to. Much to his surprise, his mother had not only been supportive, but had decided that she and his sister would make the move with him.

Arriving in the United States, he had been quick to assume the pseudonym of Jack Frost. The name had seemed to fit him given his new hair colour, the blue contacts which he had taken to wearing and his affinity for the cold. However, even with the assumed name, he had struggled to shake his past.

While his sister had remained blissfully unaware of the identity of the young girl that she had met all those years ago, he never had. Over the years, he had continued to send gifts to Elsa. Her whereabouts had remained a secret, even from him and he had been forced to rely on North to act as a link. To his knowledge, the Bunnymund's had been grateful for his gifts but had opted to tell Elsa that the presents had come from a family friend. Sadly, North's death in 2006 had seen his tie to Elsa severed with her last known whereabouts being somewhere in the Philippines.

With his last link to Elsa gone, the depression that he had fought to keep at bay had come back and he had been sent into a downward spiral. He had somehow managed to maintain his job as a mechanic and had spent the last few years working during the day and using alcohol, cigarettes and drunken one-night stands to distract himself from his troubles in the evening.

His mother's untimely death in 2012 had been the wake-up call that he had needed. He had snapped out of his reckless behaviour and had moved back into the family home in order to keep his nineteen-year-old sister company. His nights out at his favoured bar had been reduced greatly. However, with Emily in New York City on a holiday with friends, he had found himself returning to the bar on a nightly basis.

The sudden sensation of a body knocking into him caused him to spill his drink. Glaring, he lifted his head and turned to face the perpetrator. He couldn't help feeling sorry for the person, knowing that they were mere seconds away from feeling the venom in his voice as he made them pay for their clumsiness. Unknown to the hapless soul, they had interfered with his attempt to push his painful past aside and for that, they had to pay.

His eyes surveyed the soon-to-be victim and he felt his jaw-dropping. Instead of a drunken college boy, the stranger happened to be a young, nervous-looking female with platinum-blonde hair, a slight frame and bright blue eyes.

"I'm so sorry," the girl apologised and blushed as she indicated to his spilled drink. "I was knocked by a few guys. who seem to have disappeared. I will buy you a new drink."

Shaking his head, he allowed himself to further study her features. Her pale face was dotted with a light tracing of freckles, a cute button nose and plum-coloured lips which she was currently biting. Looking her up and down, it was obvious to him that she was young, very young. If he had to guess, he would put her age at being twenty.

The girl let out an awkward cough and he blushed as he realised that he had been caught staring. Logic and what little common sense he had, told him that it couldn't be her. After all, what were the odds of his princess finding him in a Pennsylvanian bar on the sixteenth anniversary of the night that had changed both their lives. Yet, despite his better judgement, there was something about her...something familiar.

"Elsa," he murmured.

"Yes," the girl replied, frowning as she tilted her head to look at him. "I'm sorry, do I know you?"

* * *

Elsa felt her confusion mounting as the strange man continued to stare at her. Instinctively, she looked over her shoulder and caught Sophie's eye. To her relief, her friend caught on to her silent plea and nodded to let her know that she would remain alert.

Turning her attention back to the man, she studied his features. Despite the stench of cigarettes and beer wafting off him and the initial glare that he'd thrown her, something about him suggested that he wasn't going to hurt her. He had been angry at being knocked, that much had been clear and judging by the way his lip had curled, he had been readying himself to let fly with a stream of abuse when something about her had thrown him off guard.

Instead of yelling, his face had paled and his blue eyes had widened as if he'd seen a ghost. He had continued to stare at her while he'd brushed a hand through his dyed silver-white hair. After a few seconds, she had felt herself becoming embarrassed under his attention and had let out a nervous cough. That had been when the situation had become even weirder.

With little warning, the man had uttered one word, her name and had stared at her with disbelief. Instantly, she had reached into her clutch and had wrapped her hand around the pepper-spray. After all, this man was clearly older than her and she knew for a fact that she had not met him. Yet, he had known her name and somehow, all the safety lessons that her father had drilled into her had gone out the window and she had responded to it.

"Elsa Bunnymund," the man murmured. "It can't be...I'm dreaming...there's no way it's you...you're...you're in the Philippines, or at least you were…that was the last place...the last place where North-"

It was her turn to gawk at him. There was no way that he could possibly know her father's surname, or that she had lived in the Philippines, or North. No possible way, unless he really did know her.

"Excuse me," she interrupted cocking her head as she looked at him. "Did you just say North?"


	3. Part Three- 1st of December, 2014

**1st of December, 2014 **

Jack watched as Elsa bent down and lit the six candles that she had placed on the mantlepiece. Each candle represented a life of a lost loved one. The two on the end, had been etched with the initials of Nicholas St. North and his mother, Caroline Overland. Three candles were etched with the names of her birth family; her father, Agdar, her mother, Idun and her sister, Anna. The fourth and final candle had simply had Arendelle castle etched onto it and acted as a memorial for all those who had lost their lives in the massacre.

"Jack," Elsa's voice cracked with emotion as she turned to look at him.

Stepping forward, he pulled her into his arms and tightened his grip on her. "I'm here, princess," he murmured.

He felt her body tremble as she shifted to wrap her arms around her neck. A lone tear fell down her face as she pulled herself closer to him. Instinctively, he leaned in to press a kiss to her cheek.

If he had thought that fateful night back in 1997 had been surreal, it had been nothing compared to the last year of his life.

Almost as if fate had been at work, he had managed to have be in the right place at the right time for the second time in Elsa's twenty years. However, unlike their first meeting, the outcome had been much more positive and the only tears that had been shed had fallen from his eyes.

Somehow, despite the fact that his behaviour had startled her, Elsa had decided to hear him out and had agreed to meet him the following day for lunch.

It had come as no surprise when she had turned up at the cafe where they had agreed to meet with an entourage. A man that he had come to know as Sandy, an old friend of Aster's, had trailed after her along with a younger woman called Astrid. Pulling out her laptop and a mobile broadband device, she had made a quick Skype call to Tia and Aster Bunnymund.

After they had recovered from their own shock, Aster and Tia had greeted him warmly and had offered their condolences upon hearing the news of his mother's passing. After calling Sandy over, the Bunnymund's had granted him permission to reveal as much as he needed with the only request being that the more heavier topics be saved for a private location. They had then turned their attention back to Elsa and had confirmed that she was indeed safe with him before they had bid her goodnight.

Despite receiving her adoptive parents blessing, he had held back on the heavier issues surrounding the way he knew her and had simply revealed himself to be Jack Frost, otherwise known as Jackson Overland, the one who had been responsible for saving her life all those years ago. They had parted ways with each other's number and as Facebook friends.

Their relationship had blossomed slowly. Not surprisingly, Elsa had been wary. Years of living on guard had taken it's toll on her and she had needed time to get used to the fact that he had been there at a time when her life had changed dramatically.

For him, the reappearance of Elsa into his life had filled him with the purpose that he had been lacking for the last sixteen years. Suddenly, the promise to protect her that he'd made had been re-established and he had been determined to never lose sight of her again.

It had filled him with a sense of pride and awe upon learning that despite her tragic start in life, Elsa had flourished. She had blossomed into a beautiful, intelligent and caring young woman with a bright future as a lawyer ahead of her. As they continued to reconnect, he had found himself overcome with a wide range of emotions that he had previously kept closed off. Much like the first time she had come into his life, she had managed to inspire him to change. Still, regardless of the fact that she had returned to him as a twenty-year-old woman, it had been hard for him to own up to the way his affectionate feelings for her had changed.

She had been back in his life for four months when he had realised that the girl that had stolen his heart as a scared child, had managed to steal his heart in a completely different manner as a young adult.

At first he had battled with the moral issues of his feelings for her. After all, he had first met her as a child and had spent the last few years away from her with the image of her as that same young girl, a year younger than his own sister. However, despite his best efforts, he had struggled to hide the fact that he had found himself falling in love with the woman that had returned to him. In order to make it even more complicated, it had appeared that Elsa had found herself returning his romantic affections.

Upon realising that Elsa had fallen for him, he had decided to brave talking to her protective parents. To his surprise, neither Tia or Aster Bunnymund had minded. In fact, they had welcomed the possibility of a romance and had reassured him that the years he had spent away from Elsa had been enough for the dynamic to change. They had reasoned that Elsa had forgotten much about his role in her younger years and had come to know him again as a twenty-year-old woman. As such, they had reasoned that their twelve year age gap no longer mattered. Sensing his nerves, Aster had been quick to give his blessing for him to pursue a relationship with Elsa. Not wanting to miss her chance, Tia Bunnymund had piped up to point out that, if she had been alive, his own mother would have agreed to their budding romance.

With her parents' blessing, he had made his move and had confessed his feelings to Elsa. To his relief, she had responded positively.

They had taken things slow at first, with a few shared kisses and hugs which had lasted longer than the ones they had shared in the past. Two months after he had first admitted to himself that he had feelings for her, he had slept with her.

That first night with Elsa had been unlike anything he had ever experienced. Despite Elsa's nerves and the inexperience that had come with her being a virgin, it had been incredible. That evening, in the privacy of his bedroom, he had come to understand what it truly meant to make love to someone as opposed to merely sleeping with them. He hadn't had sex with Elsa, he had made love to her. Every ounce of feeling that he had for her had poured out of him and he had connected with her in the most beautiful way. In that moment, he had done away with words and had let his actions show her all the love and care that he had for her.

"What are you thinking, Jack?" Elsa asked. "You've got that look on your face again."

Blinking, he lowered his head and smiled at his angelic girlfriend. Her bright blue eyes were fixed on his own brown eyes. Chuckling to himself, he recalled the amused expression that had crossed her flawless face when he had first removed his fake blue contacts to reveal his natural brown eyes and the near-perfect vision that came with them. However, despite her constant requests, he had refused to stop dying his hair and had only granted her brief glimpses at the brown re-growth that lay beneath the silver-white colour that he had adopted.

"I'm thinking," he began, smiling down at her as he moved to push a strand of hair from her face. "About how some seventeen years ago, I promised a scared four-year-old that I would always be there to protect her. I'm just thankful that one year ago, she came back into my life and despite the time spent apart, I plan on spending the rest of our lives fulfilling that promise."

* * *

Standing on her tippy-toes, Elsa leaned in to press a kiss to Jack's lips before pulling apart and blushing furiously as the sight of her parents' amused faces.

Burying her face in the crook of Jack's neck, she heard him let out a soft chuckle as he tightened his grip on her. The deep red hue on her pale cheeks had no doubt alerted him to the fact that her modesty had got the better of her.

"I knew that I should have stayed out tonight," Emily Overland murmured. "It's bad enough that I have to witness the two of you making out when you think you're alone. I really do not need to see you two kiss when you've got an audience."

"Shut your face," Jack teased. "We know that you love us."

"That may be true, but no parent wants to see their child making out in front of them," her father interjected. "Especially not when said child lives with their boyfriend. It's a small sign that their baby girl may be doing things that they don't want to even _think_ about."

"Oh believe me, they _are _doing it," Emily quipped. "Trust me, my bedroom is across the hall from their bedroom. I've had to learn to sleep with my fan on in order to have a bit of white noise and try and block out the sound of them."

A high-pitched squeak escaped her lips as she lowered her head to rest on Jack's shoulders. She knew that Emily was joking, she had sent Jack to double-check that they had not been heard not long after she had moved in. Still, knowing that the twenty-two year old Overland was only teasing her, had not stopped her face from heating up.

"Alright, you can all clear out now," Jack ordered. "If you're not going to put up and shut up, you can get out. Besides, I don't think El's face could get any redder."

She let out a soft groan as the sound of gentle laughter filled the room. Jack's grip on her tightened as he leaned down to press a kiss to her forehead. Sighing, she tilted her head to look at him. A lop-sided grin had appeared on his face as he attempted to lighten the mood. However, the concern was evident in his brown eyes and she knew that he was merely masking his own feelings in order to stay strong for her- much like he had done for the last year and those few days when they had first met as a child and a teen.

The last year of her life had been filled with a wide range of emotions. After their initial meeting, she had checked with her parents and had discovered that not only was Jack someone that she could trust, but that he had been the same Jack that had rescued her as a child.

With her parents giving him the all-clear, she had found herself drawn to him and had spent an increasing amount of time with him. The onset of romantic feelings had come as a shock to her. However, it had been harder for Jack. He had been forced to deal with the worry that his new-found attraction to her was morally wrong considering she had been a child when they had first met. The idea that he could be judged for loving her had initially scared him and it hadn't been until he had received her parents blessing that their relationship had moved forward.

For her, the true pain hadn't come until six months after they had first reconnected. She had been unpacking the last of her boxes after she had moved from her dorm to the Overland's home. She had stumbled upon a small box of her most treasured possessions and had pulled out a blue ribbon that had been one of the few relics of her life prior to being adopted. Blinking back a tear, she had turned to find Jack and had shown him the fading piece of fabric before telling him that it had been the ribbon in her hair when she had lost her birth parents.

Jack's face had paled as he had studied the material. Suddenly, without saying a word, he had exited the room. He had returned moments later with his laptop and a faded childs dress. His brown eyes had filled with tears as he'd called for her to take a seat.

Timidly, she had taken a seat on the bed and had pulled her childhood teddy bear onto her lap. Jack had joined her on the bed and had unfolded the dress to point out a spot where a section of ribbon had been cut from it. Lining up her own ribbon, she had recognised the pattern as being identical and having come from the dress. The pattern, Jack had explained, was the Arendelle crest- the symbol of the Arendelle royal family.

Cocking her head, she had turned to glance at him. She had heard of the Arendelle royals. The brutal murder of the royal family and gathered guests had been one of the possible topics that had been on offer in her Modern History class during her senior year. She had contemplated studying the deaths and had thought that given the fact that she had been born in Arendelle, that it would be an interesting subject. However, her mother had suggested that she chose the Cold War because the effect on the world had been far greater.

She had barely had enough time to grasp the idea that she had a ribbon which displayed the symbol of a slain family in her possession when Jack had dropped an even greater bombshell on her. Taking her hand in his, he had softly whispered that the only people who had clothes with the Arendelle crest on them, had been the royal family.

At first she had been certain that she had misheard him. She had known that she shared the same first name as one of the murdered princesses, but it still did not explain how she had come to own something which had apparently come from a deceased girl's clothing.

That had been when the subtle message that Jack had tried to convey had hit her. Jerking her head up, she had turned to look at him. A part of her had wanted to see the grin that would suggest that he had been joking, but she hadn't. His face had been filled with a pain and sorrow that she had never seen before.

Shaking her head, she had begged him to tell her that she had heard wrong. Instead, he had taken a deep breath and had slowly filled her in on the truth about her past. Her parents and sister had not been killed in a tragic car accident like she had thought. They had been murdered, by a terrorist group that had made it their mission to rid the world of royalty. Jack hadn't been passing by when he had witnessed a deadly crash. He had snuck into the castle and had been there when the terrorists had entered and had opened fire, killing the guests as well as her parents and baby sister.

He had broken down in tears when he had explained how he had found her hiding under a table. She had been so scared, having heard the sound of gunfire coming from the other room. The sound of angered shouts had spurred him on and he had grabbed her and had run off with her to safety. By taking her away from the castle, he had saved her life.

She hadn't realised that she had been crying until he had pulled her into his arms. Numbly, she had listened as he had explained how it had come to be that she had been adopted by her parents. Her adoption had been rushed through and she had been whisked out of the country only a few days after she had lost her parents. The desire to keep her safe had been the reason behind her parents choosing positions that saw them move on a regular basis. Her safety had also been the primary reason why her parents had always opted to live in a home on base rather than in the suburbs.

The world had been led to believe that Crown Princess Elsa had been taken and killed off-site. Her 'body' had never been recovered. As a result, people had come to accept that she had died and had included her in their remembrance ceremonies.

She had fallen silent for a few minutes. After a while, she had pulled the laptop towards her and had googled her family. Within seconds, she had been bombarded with images of her biological family. Suddenly, the glimpse of red hair that she had seen in her dreams had made sense as both her birth father and her younger sister had been redheaded. She, as it had seemed, had always been different to both her families in appearance with her pale skin and platinum-blonde hair.

The sound of Jack begging her for forgiveness had forced her back to reality. Turning to stare at him, she had felt her heart breaking. In that moment, she had seen a glimpse of the scared sixteen-year-old boy who had witnessed something truly horrific and had put himself at risk in order to save her. He had been as much of a victim as she had been that night. Only difference was, he had spent the last sixteen years battling with the reality while she had only dealt with the odd, previously unexplained, nightmare.

A Skype call to her parents and the presentation of a few documents had been all that had been needed to confirm her true identity. Despite the fact that it had been the middle of the night in Australia, her parents had quickly woken up and had confirmed everything that Jack had told her. They had ended the call seeking forgiveness for withholding the truth from them which she had granted. Their situation was unique and they had never failed to provide her with genuine love and care.

That had been the day when she had realised the depth of Jack's love for her and the pain that he had held onto for so long. Instead of grieving for the life that had been ripped from her, she had allowed herself another hour spent wrapped in a tearful embrace with Jack before she had resumed with unpacking her belongings. The plush teddy bear which Jack had admitted to buying for her, had found itself taking pride of place on the bedside table.

Later that night, she had found herself overwhelmed with love and emotion for the man who had always strived to protect her. Upon retreating to their bedroom for the night, she had made her move and had given all of herself to Jack.

Moving in with Jack after only having been reconnected for six months had changed her life. The past that had unknowingly plagued her dreams had been brought forward. After talking with Jack, she had come to the decision that she had no interest in reclaiming her rightful name and title as Queen of Arendelle. She had spent the last sixteen-and-a-half years as Elsa Fisher, daughter of Tia and Aster. To her relief, Jack had agreed and had pointed out that the only name change that he wanted to see on her was the one that would come when he finally popped the question and asked her to be his wife.

"Are you okay, El?" Jack murmured, breaking her from her thoughts as he leaned down to push a strand of hair from her face.

Biting her lip, she raised her head to face him. "I am," she whispered. "I was just thinking, that's all."

"Thinking about what, El?" Jack asked.

Blushing, she tightened her grip around his neck and pulled herself closer to him. Looking in his eyes, she could see all the love, care and concern, that he had for her. The nightmares that had once plagued her had been reduced to almost non-existent since she had met up with him. It had been clear to her that their chance meeting at the bar had been fate, much like the first night when he had saved her when she had been a scared four-year-old. With Jack, she felt secure and she knew that she would always be safe. After all, he had always placed her safety above his own desires- even when it had come at a cost.

"I'm thinking," she began. "About how lucky I am that you snuck into my first home and saved my life. I feel lucky that after all these years apart, we could have somehow ended up living in the same city and going to the same bar on the same night."

Jack let out loud sigh. "I feel the same, I'm lucky to have you," he agreed. "I just wish that it hadn't come at such a cost. I wish that you never had to suffer through losing your home and family."

Raising her hand, she slowly caressed Jack's cheek. "That couldn't have been prevented, at least not by you," she pointed out. "However, you did see to it that I was safe that night and you also stood by and saw to it that I found a new family and a new home. I've been lucky to have known the love of two sets of parents Besides, I've got you and now that you're back in my life, I've got a home. You are my home and you're all that I need."

Jack nodded and reached up to take her small hand in his own hand. "You're all I need, El," he whispered. "So long as I know that you are safe and sound then I am happy."

Blushing, she leaned up to capture his lips in a soft kiss. She felt his hand move to wrap around her waist and press her closer to him.

Breaking the kiss, she rested her forehead against his and stared into his eyes. "I am safe," she whispered. "With you, I am always safe, secure and loved. You're all I need to be happy."

Grinning, Jack pulled back and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. "Like I said all those years ago, " he began. "I'll always be here for you, loving you and protecting you. You're stuck with me, little princess, always and forever."

* * *

**A/Note- Ahh, this is what happens when you listen to the song, "Once Upon A December" from the animated movie Anastasia. This little plot-bunny formed in my head and wouldn't disappear. It's only very very very loosely based on Anastasia, which is fitting considering the movie Anastasia isn't exactly 'historically accurate', but then again, the true story is much more grim. Thanks for reading. Keep calm and ship Jelsa. **


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